PAX WEST 2017

Three weeks ago, from September 1 to September 4, in the beautiful city of Seattle, state of Washington, took place one of the most important Video Game conventions around the globe, PAX WEST 2017. After attending PAX WEST this year I decided that I will write a brief document about the impression and the importance of this event, created by Gamers for Gamers, to the industry of Video Games. I know this has taken a while (I was hoping to do this right after the convention) but as everything, I had to give myself time to reflect and organize all of the things that had an impact on me during this marvelous event.

PAX West, for those who don't know, is a video game convention that started in 2004, and that since has grown to become an event as big and important as E3, with 4 different conventions taking place through the year, 3 in USA (PAX SOUTH, PAX EAST, and PAX WEST) and one in Australia (PAX AUST). The event took place in Washinton State Convention Center in Seattle - Washington, a city where most of the video games development studios are located. Companies like Nintendo of America, Valve, and Microsoft, are some of the hundreds of studios that have their headquarters in this city. During this time big triple-A studios (AAA) and small Indie Developers gather to show to their peers and public all of their new projects, share their experiences in the industry and celebrate gaming.

The event was a dream come true. I had the possibility to watch, play, and talk to people that saw video games with the same emotion and excitement as I do, and share with them my passion for games (and music). The convention was full of new projects and panels in which big and small studios (and developers) from the industry talk and share with us (the assistance) all of their knowledge, bits of advice and experiences that they have gathered through the years working in this industry. This, I think, is the big difference of this event with other conventions like E3.

PAX focuses on the gamers, the consumers, the people who play, buy and develop games, the common folks who maybe don't work for Nintendo, or any other big company but create games by themselves in their houses, with their friends and that have grown seeing in this media a way of life. Its importance to the industry comes when you finally realise that this is one of the only shows in which you, as a gamer, can talk and share a moment with the people that help create some of our most beloved video games.

In my own opinion, PAX brings life to the gaming community and the industry. It opens a space for people to interact and share, and blurs the line that divides the industry juggernaut studios and indie developers with their fans and supporters. Is a place where all share the same love for games and where you can learn, meet and even negotiate business offers and deals with the studios and developers that go to show their new projects and future releases. Even board games and cosplayers can find a place to interact and feel part of this virtual and digital convention, in other words, is an event that celebrate gaming and diversity as a whole integrating everyone in one single place.

At the end of the day, PAX is one, if not, the best video game convention of all, and I am eager to return to Seattle to attend once more to this event as soon as possible in the following years, as well as to the other 3 conventions that they held in the USA and in Australia.